Prof. Dr. Lorena Jemeršić is a Full Professor of Virology at the University of Zagreb and a Permanent Senior Scientific Counselor at the Croatian Veterinary Institute, where she leads the National Reference Laboratory for Classical and African Swine Fever and oversees molecular virology and genetics activities. She has extensive experience in molecular epidemiology, outbreak investigation, and laboratory capacity building, having coordinated and contributed to numerous EU-, UN-, and nationally funded projects, as well as serving as an international consultant to the FAO on One Health implementation. Her work at the interface of research, reference laboratory networks, and policy-relevant surveillance systems, combined with her leadership in training and mentoring, positions her as a key contributor to interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange within a COST Action.